Maren Morris Won’t ‘Shut Up and Sing’ When It Comes to Gun Control

The October 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas changed Maren Morris. The "Girl" singer describes a "perpetual PTSD" that still lingers. In a new wide-ranging interview with Esquire, she makes it clear she's an advocate of common sense gun reform.

"I don't think anyone needs to own a semi-automatic or automatic rifle," Morris says in an article published online on Wednesday (March 13). "I'm from Texas and I've grown up around guns ... But as much fun as that was growing up, do I feel particularly safe around guns now? No."

The 28-year-old Morris joins a growing group of country men and women making a call for gun control measures that includes Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Both Carrie Underwood and Kane Brown included songs on the topic on recent studio albums. Morris says she appreciates that people are becoming more brave and rejects the notion that artists should "shut up and sing."

Fifty-eight were killed in Oct. 2017 when a gunman opened fire on a crowd watching Jason Aldean perform. Morris performed at the festival the day before, and soon after released a song she cut with Vince Gill called "Dear Hate." She recalls being afraid to get back on stage soon after, something many artists felt.

"It feels like we're all dealing with perpetual PTSD," she says. "The only way that I've been able to continue touring and having confidence on stage is through conversations (about this) with fans."

"If they went through that and they can still buy a ticket and show up and pay for parking and get in the door, then I can certainly walk out on stage," she adds.

While Morris' new studio album Girl does address social issues, gun violence is not one of them. The first half of the record finds her speaking her mind in ways that are thought-provoking and inspiring. There's a thread of independence that works through the album, even during the devoted love songs that define the second half.